On the priority of character: “Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the State” (Apology, 30b).
On the dangers of democracy: “No man on earth who conscientiously opposes you or any other organized democracy, and flatly prevents a great many wrongs and illegalities from taking place in the state, can possibly escape with his life.” (31e)
On the importance of philosophy: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (38a)
(See also my episode on Plato’s Apology of Socrates in the Philosophers, Explained series.)